The inventive concept relates generally to semiconductor memory devices, and more particularly, to a memory system comprising a nonvolatile memory device and a controller and a method for programming data in the nonvolatile memory device.
Semiconductor memory devices can be roughly divided into two categories according to whether they retain data when disconnected from power. These categories include volatile memory devices, which lose stored data when disconnected from power, and nonvolatile memory devices, which retain stored data when disconnected from power. Examples of volatile memory devices include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and synchronous DRAM (SDRAM). Examples of nonvolatile memory devices include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory device, a phase-change RAM (PRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), and ferroelectric RAM (FRAM).
There is a continuing demand for nonvolatile memory devices to have improved performance characteristics, such as faster operating speed and lower power consumption, for instance. To address this demand, researchers have sought improvements in both the physical and operational characteristics of the devices.